FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEWPORT NEWS POLICE DEPARTMENT SEEKS REACCREDITATION

The Newport News Police Department is pursuing international reaccreditation through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA).

The Newport News Police Department is pursuing international reaccreditation through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA). A team of two assessors consisting of Andrew Cannady (formerly of the Greensboro (NC) Police Department) and Luther Johnson (of the Howard County (MD) Police Department) will begin their review of the agency’s policies and practices on Saturday, December 4, 2010, and will conclude their review on Tuesday, December 7, 2010. Should the department successfully pass the on-site review, it will be granted accredited status through December of 2013.

The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. was established as an independent accrediting authority in 1979 by the four major national law enforcement associations whose members represent approximately 80% of the law enforcement profession in this nation. They include: International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP); National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE); National Sheriff’s Association (NSA); and Police Executive Research Forum (PERF). It derives its accreditation authority from those agencies that voluntarily participate in the accreditation program. Its goal is to improve the delivery of law enforcement services to the public by offering a body of standards, developed by law enforcement practitioners, covering a wide range of up-to-date law enforcement topics.

As the 16th agency in the nation to be accredited through CALEA, the Newport News Police Department has continually maintained compliance with the Commission’s standards for more than two decades. Currently, there are 727 accredited agencies in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

As part of the on-site assessment process, a public information session on the department’s application for reaccreditation will be held on Monday, December 6, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. in the Community Room at the Newport News Police Department’s Headquarters located at 9710 Jefferson Avenue.

The purpose of the information session is to provide the opportunity for the CALEA assessors to hear comments from the general public and agency employees regarding the Newport News Police Department’s compliance with the standards for accreditation. Comments made at the session must pertain only to the agency’s policies and/or procedures bearing on Commission consideration of the Newport New Police Department’s accreditation application. The assessors will not consider other matters that do not pertain to the accreditation process.

Individuals who wish to comment on the Newport News Police Department’s compliance with CALEA accreditation standards, but who are unable to attend the public information session, may contact the CALEA assessors by phone at (757) 928-4310 between the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. on Monday, December 6, 2010. Individuals seeking general information regarding the Newport News Police Department’s pursuit of accredited status through CALEA may contact Nathan Miller, Accreditation Manager, at millerna@nngov.com or (757) 928-4350 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. during the normal workweek.
 

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